Collaborative Stakeholder Movement (CSM), together with Investment Solutions, today unveiled a Jobs Pledge to celebrate Mandela Day, the aim of which is to create 14 191 200 jobs over the next 15 years. This is the number of minutes Nelson Mandela spent in jail.
“The CSM Jobs Pledge will commit participants to helping to make the change our country so desperately needs by joining hands to grow our economy through the expansion, enhancement and preservation of jobs,” says Martin
Humphries, founder of CSM.
According to South Africa Survey 2014/2015 (SAIRR), the country only sustained 15 094 000 formal jobs at 2014. Chris Hart, chief strategist at Investment Solutions, says that if South Africa were to achieve full employment, an additional 9-million to 10-million jobs need to be created.
“Given population growth projections, 10-million to 15-million new jobs need to be in place over the next 15 years. And, while the number reflects the time Madiba was in prison, South Africa cannot wait 27 years to achieve it,” says Hart.
The Jobs Pledge will be officially launched on 15 July in Johannesburg and 16 July in Cape Town in honour of Mandela Day on 18 July. It will be aimed at all organisations across business, government, NGOs, organised business bodies, organised labour, political parties and professional and leadership bodies willing to assist in achieving inclusive economic growth through sustainable job creation.
Viola Manuel CEO of CSM, says signatories to the Jobs Pledge would undertake to do at least one of the following:
* Expand staff numbers;
* Enhance the quality of existing jobs;
* Preserve existing staff numbers; and
* Aid the establishment of new jobs in small to medium sized enterprises.
An Ambassadors Pledge will also be introduced for Ambassadors for Collaboration – ordinary South Africans and Africans who openly support and encourage others to help grow an inclusive economy.
“With the right mindset, action and desire to work together, this goal of creating just over 14-million new jobs over the next 15 years is realistically attainable,” says Manuel.